https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6595 Fri, 01 May 2026 09:08:34 GMT 2026-05-01T09:08:34Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6628 In the midst of purple song and dance: coming to terms with hegemonic systems of "patriarchy" and "kyriarchy" within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Africa (ELCSA) Phaliso, Mashudu Angelinah The question on gender inequalities sounds strange in the circles of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Africa. Currently, issues of hegemonic systems of patriarchy and kyriarchy are not openly discussed given the existence of several women and men ministries introduced in the church. The challenge and fact remain: the institution continues to fail many women and men based on its perennial patriarchal and kyriarchal systems, practices and culture. The current structure and culture of teaching, management, leadership and governance do not favour the course of women. The presence of the prayer women’s league (PWL) as a women ministry structure deepens the pain and scars of patriarchy and kyriarchy. In fact the course and commitment for women space and support remain a mere matter of decorum and nothing else. The article questions the structure and culture in the church that deliberately undermines women in the household of God. This article will also aim to challenge how systems and processes oppress and silence women. A number of case studies will be cited as examples in this regard. The work of the PWL within ELCSA will be highlighted as a lame dog without teeth to bite but remain a compromised God’s mission. Peer reviewed Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6628 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6626 Interlocution and Black Theology of liberation in the 21st century: a reflection Vellem, Vuyani Before the dawn of democracy in South Africa, in the methodological debates that were associated with who the interlocutor of Black Theology of liberation was, there was a tacit understanding that not everyone who is black is necessarily an interlocutor of Black Theology of liberation. The changes arising from globalisation which coincided with the demise of apartheid seem to have diffused the clarity of interlocution in the Black Theology of liberation school as it was sought before. Another problem is that post 1994 more emphasis has been rather on the notion of prophetic theology whose relationship with the liberation paradigm is becoming equally unclear. This article will trace the debate on the interlocution and highlights the differences between prophetic theology and Black Theology of liberation in order to assert the interlocution of Black Theology of liberation with the voiceless in the 21st century. Peer reviewed Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6626 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6624 A critical dialogue with Gabrierl Molehe Setiloane: the unfinished business on the African divinity question Masoga, Mogomme Alpheus Gabriel Molehe Setiloane engaged and challenged the Western theological discourse on the structure and function of divinity. Most of his published dialogues pushed for the importance of an African theological discourse. Some of Setiloane’s sensitive, but also critical, expressions made by include statements such as, Motho ke Modimo (“a human being is God/divine”). According to Setiloane there is a need to have a comprehensive understanding of divinity in African Theology encompassing all − the living and the dead. In this regard, Setiloane attempted to develop what he called the “African Divinity discourse” encompassing areas of life such as ethics and morality in secular contexts, family life, and civil authority, “riches and poverties” and the land question, crime, leadership styles, the functioning of the corporate sector in terms of ubuntu and biocentric ethics. For more than 30 years, Setiloane dialogued critically with the then proponents of Black Theology and Liberation Theology, holding the firm view that African Divinity derives from African culture and Black and Liberation Theology from a form of Western Christianity. His main points are that (i) for African people, African Divinity is primary to their life and death experience; and (ii) if one has to confront the fact that many African people are Christian, they bring a much more elevated and encompassing understanding of divinity to Christianity, ultimately enriching it. For Setiloane, Black and Liberation Theology − as is currently acknowledged − were contextual phenomena, necessitated by the contingent challenges of having to advance the dignity of oppressed African people on the basis of race and the struggle for political freedom in the context of an oppressive political and ideological regime. According to Gabriel Setiloane, such movements were necessary at the time, but the question of African Divinity transcends them. This article aims to re-open a dialogue with a voice that has been sidetracked by the past and current (South) African theological systems and structures. Published and unpublished works of Setiloane will be included in this dialogue as well as recorded formal interviews and informal conversations. The author was privileged to have been entrusted with unpublished articles by the late Professor Setiloane. These unpublished articles are in the process of being published under the title African Perspectives, as instructed by the late Professor Setiloane. Peer reviewed Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6624 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6623 "Rethinking African theology: exploring the God who liberates" by Jean-Marc Ela Beghela, Philemon Jean-Marc Ela of the Republic of Cameroon has marked the contemporary world by his writings whose echo went beyond its domestic readership. Ela, who popularly became known as the “spokesperson of Africa’s diminishing status in the world”, was not hesitant to write about those issues considered controversial and “no go” areas by many African societies. The author builds up his theological discourse from a question raised during a debate by a young woman who asked what “worshipping” God means for people in situations of poverty, drought, famine, injustice and oppression. The challenge of reinterpreting the message of Christ in a language appropriate for indigenous people remains a critical need. The time is now for theologians and Christian thinkers alike in Africa to propagate the Christian message of total faith from an African perspective. The radicalism of the Gospel and its lack of relevance to Africa emerge as some of the major problems facing Christianity today. The debate on the relevance of the Gospel for Africa continues to become central and inevitable. In an attempt to engage readers in this debate, the following question is asked: “What should the essential message of the Church be in the articulation of the Gospel and its relevance for the people of Africa?” In an effort to provide possible answers to the above question, I explored Ela’s thoughts in one of his works entitled, Repenser la théologie africaine: le Dieu qui libère (2001). Peer reviewed Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6623 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z